Magazine feed



L. K. HEINRICH MAGAZINE FEED 2 SHEETS-SHEET Filed Sept. l5, 1946 #7. N ,N www ,1J Q www mw \m kw m hm, m. v. ww @www w M w; I Navi ,vm Nw W \\m\ 1 Nv A @ma .July l5, E952 l.. K. HEINRICH MAGAZINE FEED 2 SPEETSMSI-EET 2 Filed Sept. 13, 1946 Patented July 15, 1,952

UNITED s'rAlTEs MAGAZINE FEED Ludwig is. Heinrich, Gary, 1ndassignor w'rhe Celotex Corporation, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Application September 13, 1946-, Serial No. 69515.64`

2 Claims.

It is common, in connection with variousmachines to which nat sheet material is fed, for some types of mach-ine operation, to provide a magazine feed in which a stack of the sheets may be placed to be fed one by one to the machine to be operated upon.

The type of feeder to which this invention relates is that type of feeder for feeding sheets of appreciable thickness, say, at least one-eighth inch, or thicker, and it generally comprises an open end .box member suitably supported over an endless conveyor or belt which is provided with lugs properly spaced on the conveyor, and which lugs successively engage the back edge of the bottom sheet of the pile or stack to push it out from under the pile, whereupon the pile settles down or falls so that the next lug on the conveyor will contact the rear edge of the next sheet cf the pile and push it out from under the pile, and continuing until the magazine is emptied; or, if additional sheets are added from time to time7 then continuing so long as the machine continues to operate.

'I'he objects of this invention arel to provide a new and improved magazine feeder of the general type above briefly described. In particular, it is an object of this invention to provide a mechanism, in connection with such magazine feeder, whereby the sheets being fed, While in the magazine, are prevented from rockingv back and forth. as is usual in connection with the use of such magazine feeds as ordinarily used. Other and further objects of the invention will become apparent upon reading the following description of the device and as will be covered inthe appended claims. i

The magazine feed device hereof is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein- -v Figure 1 comprises a cross section of the feeder device taken on line I--l of Figure 2; and

Figure 2 comprises a composite view, one half being a bottom plan and the other half comprising a cross-sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1,.

The magazine feed device hereof comprises, of course, a suitableA frame in which the various parts, hereafter described, are mounted, but since the mounting frame is merely conventional, no detail description thereof will be given, and such is generally designated in the drawing .by numeral I0. Mounted on frame I therel is provided an endless belt conveyor, such being shown conventionally by dash-line II, in connection with which, however, the several individual elements, or links I2, are illustrated, these illustrated links being those which carry pusher lugs i3 which, as the conveyor is operated, serve .to feed the blanks or units successively to some following machine for machining or other step or processing. 1

(Cl. Zbl- 8.5)

Positioned above conveyor I I and spaced slightly therefrom therev is provided a box-like magazine I 5 which is of suitableI dimensions to receive the sheets or units which are to be fed by this magazine feed device. For example, if the units to be fed are units of one-half inch insulation board 12 inches by 12 inches,4 then the magazine will have dimensions just slightly over 12 inches by 12 inches, and will be of such height as will receive a plurality of the lhalf inch insulating board units as a stack.

The conveyor II is, of course, trained over suitable sprockets or vrolls I6, and mounted on one of the rolls I'G there is a suitable driving sprocket or pulley I'I which, through belt .or chain I8, drives the cam mechanism, subsequently described, and provision may be made for a longitudinal adjustment of the axis of one of the conveyor sprockets I6, as is generally indicated at I9. Suitable power, of course, will be applied to shaft I 4 'of the conveyor systemfor driving the conveyor.

It is to be understood thatthe endless belt or conveyor, which has above been described, is described merely in a most general Way, since the details of this will, of coursevary `according to the designer and according to the specific type of material which is to be fed. The details of the conveyor I I are not important in connection with the invention hereof, and it is to be understood that the conveyor is merely a conventionalv means for successively removing units Vof material from the bottom of they stack of material in magazine I5 toadvance such units successivelyA L to suitable feed rolls which feed the sheets sucthe conveyor, or, in most cases, two such narrow gaps or spaces spaced Width-wiseof the conveyor, one from the other. These; spaces or openings in the conveyor -H must be provided in order that supporting pins 20, which will be hereinafter more fully described, may pass through such gaps or spaces in the conveyor, and the function of which will also be subsequently described.

In a magazine feeder,` such as has been described, and which is more or less common in use, there is a very definite defect which very commonly causes considerable damage to the sheet material which is being fed by the device from theA magazine. vUpon consideration of the general construction, as such `has been described, it will bev readily seen ythat as conveyor II- advances, from left to right, a lugof the conveyor will contact the rear edge of the bottom unit of elements in magazine I5, and as the conveyor advances will push such unit out from under the stack of units in the magazine. As a lug I3 starts to push a unit from under the magazine, all the units being in a horizontal position, they will remain horizontal until the rear edge of the unit being advanced passes the center line of the stack of units, whereupon the rear end of thestack of units will tend to fulcrum on the top rear corner of the bottom unit being advanced, and the entire stack in the magazine will tend to tip backwards. Now as the bottom unit is pushed forward further, and nally clears the forward edge of the stack in the magazine, the entire superposed stack of units tends to do two things: One, they drop downwardly a distance which is the thickness of the bottom unit which has been removed from under the stack, and two, to come back to a horizontal position. This action just described imparts to the stack of units in the magazine I5 a continuous rocking movement, backward and forward, and a jolt, as the unit being advanced clears the forward edge of the stack, resulting in the forward edge of the stack abruptly dropping to return the stack to its horizontal position.

The invention hereof prevents the back and forth rocking motion which is imparted to the pile of units in the magazine, and by suitably supporting the pile of units, with a lowering of the pile as a unit and in a horizontal position, the drop and consequent jar, which was above referred to, is avoided.

The mechanism for carrying out the objects of this invention comprises essentially a pair of spaced supporting pins 2D which, together with suitable cam and connected lever mechanism, causes these supporting pins 20 to reciprocate under controlled conditions and in proper sequence to obtain the results comprising the particular objects of the invention.

The pins 2l) are shown as separate pins mounted on push rods 2I but having their lower ends threaded into suitably threaded recesses in the upper ends of push rods 2 I. It will be understood, of course, that this may be any suitable connection and that the supporting pins 20 and push rods 2I are separate elements only for the purpose of facility in removing pins 20, since under some conditionsl of use the upper ends of these pins might wear or be damaged.

Push rods 2I operate through suitable supporting sleeves 22 which may be provided with removable bushings 23, if desired.

The lower'ends of push rods 2I are provided with small openings 2'4 for connecting the upper end of a spring 25 to push rod 2i, and the lower end of such spring 25 is fastened to a pin or rod 26, which spring, so connected to the lower end of the push rod, biases the push rod downwardly. The push rods 2I and their supporting pins 20 are shown in the drawing as arranged in two pairs longitudinally of the machine with the push rods of each pair spaced transversely across the machine. The exact position of the push rods depends, of course, on the units which are to be fed, but for a l2 x 12 unit, for example, the push rods are preferably located approximately inches apart transversely of the machine, so that the units may be supported near their side edges, and the push rods are further positioned lengthwise of the machine, spaced about six inches apart, and positioned so as to approximately center under the unit to be fed, and thus lengthwise 4 of the machine the supporting points are positioned about one-fourth of the lengthwise dimension of the unit from each, the front and rear edges, and the support points are spaced apart one-half the lengthwise dimension of the unit supported.

The push rods 2I are actuated by a cam and lever mechanism, and, as shown in the drawing, there is illustrated a single cam shaft 30 on which there are mounted cams 3I and 32 secured by key and set screw 33, or other suitable securing means.

The cam 3| actuates the rear pair of push rods 2 I, that is the pair toward the left in the drawing, Figure l. and cam 32 actuates the forward pair of push rods, the pair to the right, Figure 1.

For actuating each of the pairs of push rods 2I there is provided a yoke connection for member 34 which has outwardly extending portions 35 which are slotted or bored. or the like, to receive the lower ends of push rods 2I which, in turn, are provided with holes drilled cross-wise Vnear the lower ends of the push rods whereby, by means pins 36 passing through registering openings in the outwardly extending portion 35 of yoke members 34, and through the openings provided in the lower ends of the push rods, the push rods are securely connected to such outwardly extending portions 35. Pins 36 it is, of course. understood can be suitably retained in place by cotter pins or by a spring ring 31, as illustrated, or by other suitable means.

Push rods actuating yokes 34 are mounted on the outer ends of pivoted arms 40 which, at the other end, are provided with a suitably bored portion 4I which is mounted on rod 42, in turn appropriately mounted in the frame work I0 of the machine. This construction, just described, as will be understood, provides pivoted actuating arms for reciprocating one pair of the push rods, the such system being pivoted on cross-rod 42 and actuating one pair of the push rods, that is, either the forward or rear pair, and there is provided a similarly but oppositely arranged push rod actuating system for actuating the other pair of push rods.

Each of these push rod actuating systems has suitably mounted on one of its outwardly extending arms 40 a cam contacting roller 45, shown as mounted on a pin 46, which is suitably mounted in arm 40. 'I'he cam rollers are mounted over cams 3I and 32 and ride on the surfaces of the cams as the cams rotate. In the operation of this device. with the cam rotating in a clockwise direction, and with a lug I3 having advanced to a point where it has pushed the bottom unit of the stack in the magazine forwardly to just beyond the rear supporting pins 20, the leading face of cam 3I will be in position to and will begin to push its associated roller 45 upwardly which,

f due to its connection to pivot arm 40, will move and since the rear set of push rods and supportr 5 supporting pins 20.

As the lowermost unit, which is being fed, is further advanced, its rear end will flnally pass the position of the forward pair of supporting pins, and at this point the leading face of cam 32 will contact its cooperating roller 45 and cause the roller and connected pivoted arm 4D to rise as the rising face of carn 32 continues to rotate. This pivoting action of the push rod actuating mechanism which operates the forward p-air of push rods causes, through the connections described, the forward pair of push rods to rise to support theforward end of the stack of units before the lowermost unit is carried entirely outV from under the stack, and thus it results, when the lowermost unit does pass out from under the stack, that the forward end of the stack cannot fall, since 1t is supported on the forward pair of supporting pins 20, and at this point the entire stack is supported upon the two pairs of supporting pins 2U, one pair located toward the rear of the stack and the other located toward the front end of the stack.

During the period following the projection of the rear pair of supporting pins 20 by the action of the rising face of cam 3|, and for the short period between the projection of the forward pair of supporting pins 20 by the rising face of cam 32, and until just after the rearward edge of the unit being moved forward clears the forward edge of the stack, the pins are held in raised position by the arcuate portions 45 and 46', respectively, of cams 3l and 32, as will -be readily understood from consideration of the drawings.

In further operation of the mechanism, and just after the rear end of the lowermost unit has cleared the forward end of the magazine, the movement of the cams, due to receding cam faces d1, and through the riding of rollers 45 down such receding faces, provide conditions whereby the push rod springs 25 retract the push rods, both pairs being retracted, since both rollers are riding down the receding faces, with consequent pivoting downward of the push rod arms 49 and connected yokes 34, so that it results that both pairs of push rods and supporting pins, through their downward movement, allow the pile of units in magazine I5 to move downwardly, all in a horizontal' position, until the lowermost has reached the conveyor, whereupon the then lowermost unit will be picked up by the next lug I3 to be moved out from under the pile.

While it has not been above mentioned, it will, of course, be understood that a loose connection must be provided between push rods 2| and the pivoted push rod actuating systems, and for this purpose the opening in the outwardly extending portions 35 of yokes 34 are elongated somewhat, as at 48, to provide the required loose connection to compensate for the arcuate movement of the connecting point at the outer ends of the push rod yokey portions 35.

While it is believed that the operation of the device will be readily understood from the foregoing detailed description, the operation may be summarized as follows:

With a pile of units in the magazine, the units lying in a horizontal position and the lowermost down against the conveyor, the lowermost unit is picked up by lug I3 and begins to move forwardly. As the rear end of this unit passes the rear pair of supporting pins, the cam mechanism described causes these rear supporting pins to 6 rise to support the rear end of the stack of units. As the bottom unit is advanced further to pass the forward pair of supporting pins, the cam mechanism causes these forward supporting pins to rise to support the pile of units adjacent their forward edges, and finally, just after the rear edge of the'lower unit clears the forward edge of the magazine, both pairs of supporting pins are retracted so as to lower the pile of units down, still in a horizontal position, until thel be fed serially operatively positioned over thel conveyor, pusher lugs mounted on the conveyor Vand functioning to push out and advance from said magazine the lowermost unit of a stack of sheet form units, horizontally positioned, stacked therein; and in combination therewith stack supporting fingers, mounted, for vertical movement, below the magazine and positioned both behind and in front of the transverse center line of the magazine, and means reciprocating the supporting fingers vertically.

2. A magazine feeder apparatus comprising a conveyor, a magazine receiving sheet material to be fed serially operatively positioned over the conveyor, pusher lugs mounted on the conveyor and functioning to push out and advance from said magazine the lowermost unit of a stack of sheet form units, horizontally positioned, stacked therein; and in combination therewith stack supporting fingers, mounted for vertical movement below the magazine and positioned adjacent the rear and front edges of the magazine, pivoted arms connected to the supporting fingers, cam means mounted for rotation operatively associated with the pivoted arms, the cam means formed with rising faces, dwell faces and receding faces and the such cam faces related in position to operate the pivoted arms serially to project a supporting finger, to hold such finger projected, to then project the other supporting finger and tok then allow simultaneous retraction of the supporting fingers, there being connected to the supporting fingers means -biasing the supporting fingers to retracted position.

LUDWIG K. HEINRICH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record inthe file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 526,489 Jarvis .3.. Sept. 25, 1894 2,050,711 Malocsay Aug. 11, 1936 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 293,418 Germany May 19, 1914 

